Stretching, drying and heat-setting apparatus

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to stretching, drying and heat-setting apparatus for felt and wire for paper machines. A cantilever support means for each roll is arranged extending from one side and over the entire web, thus providing supports for temporary support of one shaft journal of the roll. This enables easy introducing and removing of the felt. The cantilever means are preferably assembled to a unit which also supports one part of the drying box.

United States Patent STRETCHING, DRYING AND HEAT-SETTING APPARATUS 6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

Int. Cl F26b 13/12 Field of Search 29/401;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,586,204 5/1926 Lamoureux 2,541,080 2/1951 Lyon 3,186,902 6/1965 Grater Primary Examiner Reuben Friedman Assistant Examiner-T. A. Granger Attorney-Young & Thompson ABSTRACT: The invention relates to stretching, drying and heat-setting apparatus for felt and wire for paper machines. A cantilever support means for each roll is arranged extending from one side and over theentire web, thus providing supports for temporary support of one shaft journal of the roll. This enables easy introducing and removing of the felt. The cantilever'means are preferably assembled to a unit which also supports one part ofthe drying box.

I II I n I n o u I n q a -II l 1 PATENTEHAUB 3197: Q 596 372 mu 2 m 3 PATENTED AUG 31% SHEET 3 BF 3 INVENTOR. 4442 V5 fi wvosf/n STRETCIIING, DRYING AND HEAT-SETTING APPARATUS The present invention relates to a stretching, drying and heat-setting apparatus for felt and wire for paper machines, comprising at least two rolls, normally mounted at both ends and capable of movement towards and away from each other on tracks or the like, and a drying box.

Such stretching, drying and heat-setting apparatus is used in the paper-felting industry for treatment of felt and wires of synthetic materials. For example, wires of synthetic materials must be set prior to mounting in a paper machine, and this is carried out in an apparatus as described above, with a combination of heat and stretch action. The wire may also be set by means ofchemical agents.

The felt or wire is endless and possibilities must therefore exist for introduction and removal of the felt or wire to and from the apparatus, i.e. the rolls onto which the felt or wire is to be introduced must be releasable at one end. In apparatus of the type herein described the rolls are of great dimension in the longitudinal direction, and there is therefore no question of using constructions having the roll mounted at one end only. The rolls are of lengths of up to ID meters or even more, for instance, and of a weight of more than 7 tons. Thus in the known apparatus of this type, the introduction or removal of felt or wire to or from the apparatus is carried out by providing a support for each roll between the two end bearings, one end bearing being then removed and the felt or wire introduced onto the rolls. The end bearing is then remounted and the support removed, whereafter the felt or wire is stretched over the entire width. Such demounting and remounting of the rolls is time consuming and complex and one of the disadvantages entailed thereby is that the felt or wire must be folded or compressed in width on introduction or removal, and this stress is detrimental to the felt or wire.

In accordance with the invention a stretching, drying and heat-setting apparatus is provided for felt or wire for paper machines, comprising at least two rolls, normally mounted at both ends and capable of being moved towards and away from each other on tracks or the like, and a drying box, and, in accordance with the invention, a cantilever support means is provided for each roll, said support means extending from one side and over the entire web and being provided at its free end with support members for temporary support action with one shaft journal of the roll, for example, when introducing the felt.

By means of the said cantilever support means, extending from one side and over the entire width of the web, it is possible in a simple manner to demount the end bearing of a roll and to support the shaft journal by means of the said support means. An endless web may then be readily introduced and the said web may be positioned without the necessity of folding or in other manner compressing the web in transverse direction. When the web, a felt for example, has been positioned, the shaft journals which are temporarily supported by the support means are transferred to the respective normal bearings thereof, for example, a carriage running on a track, and the apparatus is then ready for operation.

According to the invention, the support means for the rolls may advantageously be assembled as a constructive unit, it being possible thereby to provide a more rigid and less space consuming construction.

The drying boxes used with such an apparatus are divided into two parts and in accordance with the invention, it is advantageous that one part of the drying box be supported by one or more of the support means. The second part ofthe drying box is then mounted on an appurtenant support member which runs on tracks so as to permit this part of the drying box to be removed when a web is to be positioned in or removed from the apparatus.

The transfer of the rolls one shaft journal to the support means may be carried out in that the support means is provided with e.g. hydraulically actuated support members which are positioned beneath the shaft journal, however, since it is a question here of an extremely long cantilevered support means, it is advantageous to tension said support means in a downward direction by means of a power member so that the support members are in a position below the level of the roll's appurtenant shaft journal. On transfer, the roll may then be driven up to the support means so that the shaft journal is in position above the support member, and, when the tension is released, the support member and thereby the support means will be in engagement with the shaft journal and the load is transferred.

The invention relates also to a method of operation of an apparatus as described hereinbefore, and the distinguishing feature of the method according to the invention resides in the fact that the support means are normally tensioned downwardly by means of power members which act on the free ends of the support means, and that the appurtenant shaft journals of the rolls may be driven to a position above the support members, whereafter the tension is released so as to transfer the support of the shaft journal to the support means.

The invention is further described in the following with reference to the drawings which show a preferred embodiment example.

In the drawings FIG. I shows a top plan view of an apparatus according to the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a side elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged end view of the apparatus.

In the drawings, only those construction elements necessary to the understanding of the invention are shown, and the drawings are therefore to be considered as diagrammatic drawings.

On two parallel tracks I and 2, two rolls, a drive roll 3 and a stretch roll 4, are arranged. The drive roll 3 is mounted at respective ends in a fixed bearing 5 and a carriage 6 which runs on the track 2. The stretch roll 4 is mounted in two stretch carriages 7 and 8 which run on the tracks 1 and 2 respectively. Each stretch carriage 7 and 8 is provided with a guide 9 for a bearing block 10 wherein the respective roll shaft journal is mounted. During operation, the carriages 7 and 8 are locked to the respective tracks 1 and 2, and the bearing block 10 may be moved in the guides 9, by means of the indicated operating means 11 and 12, for stretching of the positioned web. The carriages 7 and 8 may be moved on the respective tracks 1 and 2 by means of drive motors l3 and 14 respectively.

The drive roll is operated from the motor 15.

The apparatus is further provided with a drying box of known construction, and the drying box consists of two parts, an upper part 16 and a lower part 17. The upper part 16 of the drying box is supported at either end by support constructions l8 and I9 respectively, and may be moved on tracks 20 and 21.

The drying box is, as illustrated, connected to a hot air unit 22. The air flow in the hot air unit and the drying box is indicated by arrows.

The upper part 16 of the drying box is located above the web 23in the apparatus indicated in FIG. 2, and the lower part 17 of the drying box is located, in the same manner as the drive roll 3 and the stretch roll 4, in the loop of the web.

Two strong cantilevers 24 and 25 are cemented into the floor, as is apparent from FIG. 3, and extend upwardly adjacent the track 1 and are cantilevered across the entire width of the web to the second track 2. The lower part 17 of the drying box is suspended in the two cantilevers 24, 25 and is thus also cantilevered. The two cantilevers 24, 25 are interconnected at their free ends by means of a plate 26; The said plate forms two arms 27 and 28, extending on either side of the cantilever, said arms forming the support member for support of the shaft journals of the drive roll 3 and the stretch roll 4 respectively.

The free ends of the cantilever construction can be subjected to a force in a downward direction by means of power members (not shown), the object thereof being further explained in the following together with an explanation of the mode of operation of the apparatus.

In the drawings the apparatus is shown with a web 23 therein and the web is subjected to heat treatment and stretching in a manner known per se. When the web is finished it must be removed from the apparatus. This is carried out in that the stretch carriages 7 and 8 with the stretch roll 4! are driven toward the drying box, to the point where the stretch roll 4 is in the position indicated by 4i. The cantilever construction 24, 25 with the drying box part 17, has been pretensioned downwardly by means of power members (not shown), so that the support surfaces of the arms 27, 28 are in such a low position that the said surfaces are not in contact with the shaft journals of the drive roll 3 and the stretch roll 4. The tension of the cantilever construction 24, 25 is released, and the arms 27, 28 are then in contact with the shaft journals of the two rolls, and support the said rolls. When the stretch roll 4i has been driven into position, as previously described, the carriages 6 and 8 are demounted from the respective shaft journals and are moved away, the carriage 6 being moved to the left onto the track 2 which is here provided with an extension relative to the track 1, while the carriage 8 is driven to the right. After the upper part 116 of the drying box is driven away on the tracks 20, 21, the web 23 may be drawn directly out, i.e. in direction to the right in FIG. 3. A new web may thereafter be positioned, the cantilever construction 24, 25, being retensioned in a downward direction, whereafter the carriages 6 and 8 are driven into position, at the respective shaft journals, the end bearings are mounted on their respective carriages t3 and 8 and the upper part 16 of the drying box is driven into position. The apparatus is now ready for renewed operation, in that the stretch carriages 7 and 8 may now be driven to the right and tighten the web.

Not illustrated, but quite apparent, is the feature that the drying box is constructed in such a manner as to be readily connected to and disconnected from the unit 22, the upper part 16 being displaceable.

The invention is hereinbefore described and explained in connection with a typical embodiment, but the invention is not restricted to this particular embodiment. The actual cantilever construction for the cantilever support means can, for example, be effected in any other advantageous manner, and, as previously mentioned, the arms 27, 28 can be provided with hydraulic raising means which, when actuated, are brought up to the shaft journals of the rolls and can take over the support thereof. The invention may also be adapted to apparatus with more than two rolls in that support means or support members are provided for all the rolls which are positioned in the loop of the web.

I claim:

1. A stretching, drying and heat-setting apparatus for felt and wire webs for paper machines, comprising at least two rolls having journals at their ends, cantilever support means for said rolls extending from one side and over the entire width of the web, said support means having a free end and support members at its free end for temporarily supporting one end of each said roll, and means for moving said support members and rolls relative to each other until the ends of said rolls ad- 20 jacent said support members are supported by said support least in part by said support means.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, said drying box being in two vertically superposed portions the lower of which is carried by said cantilever support means and the upper of which is supported on carriage means for movement laterally of said cantilever support means.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, and means mounting said cantilever support means for vertical swinging movement of said free end, 

1. A stretching, drying and heat-setting apparatus for felt and wire webs for paper machines, comprising at least two rolls having journals at their ends, cantilever support means for said rolls extending from one side and over the entire width of the web, said support means having a free end and support members at its free end for temporarily supporting one end of each said roll, and means for moving said support members and rolls relative to each other until the ends of said rolls adjacent said support members are supported by said support members and said journals of said associated ends are spaced from said associated ends.
 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and carriage means for moving said journals relative to the rolls in a direction transverse to the rolls.
 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said cantilever support means comprising a cantilever beam, said support members extending in opposite directions from the free end of the beam.
 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and a drying box disposed between the rolls, said drying box being supported at least in part by said support means.
 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, said drying box being in two vertically superposed portions the lower of which is carried by said cantilever support means and the upper of which is supported on carriage means for movement laterally of said cantilever support means.
 6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and means mounting said cantilever support means for vertical swinging movement of said free end. 